Dana Lok
The work of Brooklyn-based painter Dana Lok challenges traditional notions of perspective, form and symbolism. Lok says of her practice, “Images and words are miraculous bits of the world that point to or make a claim about some other, far away bit of the world. My work is driven by a fascination with this magical interaction. My paintings and drawings play with framing, point of view, language, illusion and flatness to complicate and clarify the thresholds of content and medium, interior and surface. Some of my paintings begin with the idea of depicting two moments of the same scene. As soon as I establish the two images are sequential in time, I look for ways to undermine such a reading.
Sometimes I think about a painting as a theater set. Traditionally, a painting treats you to the most expensive seats in the theater, and you have an optimal point of view of the scene. I like to entertain the idea that you might get a seat that’s off to the side, and glimpse the actors before they are ready to perform. Elements of the set might be misaligned, or you might realize something you thought was round is actually flat. …
The work of Brooklyn-based painter Dana Lok challenges traditional notions of perspective, form and symbolism. Lok says of her practice, “Images and words are miraculous bits of the world that point to or make a claim about some other, far away bit of the world. My work is driven by a fascination with this magical interaction. My paintings and drawings play with framing, point of view, language, illusion and flatness to complicate and clarify the thresholds of content and medium, interior and surface. Some of my paintings begin with the idea of depicting two moments of the same scene. As soon as I establish the two images are sequential in time, I look for ways to undermine such a reading.
Sometimes I think about a painting as a theater set. Traditionally, a painting treats you to the most expensive seats in the theater, and you have an optimal point of view of the scene. I like to entertain the idea that you might get a seat that’s off to the side, and glimpse the actors before they are ready to perform. Elements of the set might be misaligned, or you might realize something you thought was round is actually flat. Stepping inside an iconic painting like Édouard Manet’s Le Dejeuner sur L'herbe gives me the opportunity to illustrate quite literally the contradictions of deep pictorial space and flat picture planes, and pull out new narratives in the process.”*
Lok’s drawings and paintings have been shown in a number of exhibitions including Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York, The Crack Up, Room East Gallery, New York, Judith Charles Gallery, New York, Fisher Landau Center for Art, New York, and The Wallach Gallery, Columbia University, New York. Lok has received a number awards and scholarships including the Andrew Fisher Fellowship from Columbia University, New York and a nomination for the 2015 Rema Hort Grant.
*Courtesy of the Artist's Site
